....I often find myself thinking back on the adventure
which has been my life. Perched as I have so often been in my favorite old rocking
chair (the one covered in zebra hide), I am reminded of how my dear Archer
carried the fine chair through darkest Africa, determined to bring it home and
find it a position of appropriate grandeur. It, like myself has seen the finest
of days…and here we sit.....
I once belonged to the Palm Beach Cinematic Society, a
collection of socialites and eccentrics dedicating their time to the sharing
and enjoyment of “all things film”. What really happened was we gathered at
each others homes monthly to discuss films we had recently viewed. Now, what
really, really! happened was we introduced the film “assignment”, chatted about
it for a few minutes, and proceeded to eat, drink, chat, gossip and share vast
amounts of knowledge of other subjects, including (but certainly not limited to)
foods, travel destinations and updates of children and other friends and acquaintances.
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| Palm Beach Fashions |
I just adored these get-togethers, and I adored the ladies
who frequented them. Such a collection of eccentric and loyal friends….there
was Lorelei, the artist….most widely known for her photographs of insects, and
weddings…..and perhaps insect weddings. Then there was Nora, the teacher and
lover of nature….this year her assignment to her students was for them to take
home frog eggs and watch them hatch in their bathtubs! Can you imagine!...weeks
and maybe months of bathing out of the sink and then the slimy creatures might
hop right out and into your beds!
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| Movies of the time |
Anyway, Nell was involved in organizing the local youth to
do “good deeds” and spent her off time like Katharine Hepburn, gallivanting
around jungles and climbing mountains…imagine! There was Kate, our own resident
“Martha Stewart”; Tuppence, who was studying to be a Lawyer (imagine that!);
Lula, who loved to adopt lost animals and find them new homes; and of course
Miss LaFontaine, who always showed up wearing exotic Asian robes and such; and in
the midst of all of our lavish, stone mansions, she lived in a woodsy and
charming home made of logs! Can you imagine! She was such a rebel!
Secretly, Vivian was designing and assembling ornate and
scandalous garments, and Rose was her fit model… and the two would gather on
occasion, trying on the pieces late into the wee hours, and drinking way too
much wine! Sally always hosted the Christmas bash because she had the most
gorgeous tree, and put it up the earliest. I also happen to know that she
secretly dreamed of becoming a “long haul” truck driver, and was quietly
practicing on another friend’s large vehicle. Seems whenever the group got
themselves into trouble, Sally was at the heart of it….and, Annabelle always
managed to get us out….she could dig a mean snow trench, and I once saw her
directing traffic in a pinch!
Cybil was the proper one of the group. She had come over
from England and was always
trying to improve our manners….she occasionally made us wear hats and raise our
pinkies, but I know that she was really from Pittsburgh and secretly owned dungarees! We
played along and loved her all the same. Daisy possessed daring wit, something we
shared, and she always made me chuckle, especially when she told jokes in
English, but delivered the punch lines in Spanish….imagine that!
Several of the ladies came and went, some joining for a
while, when in town, and others who just retired from us or simply found their
lives changing and moving on. There was Jane, who was off having babies; Joan,
who had taken a position with the Postal Service, efforting to improve their
logistics; and of course Violet, who decided she liked books better than film….last
I heard she had joined a Book Club! Imagine that!
These were the ladies of Palm Beach…the
heart and soul of the community…and my friends….what would our town have been
without them…..certainly a lot less interesting!.......astoria
For the top 50 movies of the 1940's see:
For more on Palm Beach in the 1930's-1950's check out
:
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| Gwendolyn |
Astoria might have worn one of these lavish "ladies lunching" jackets to one of the Society meetings.......jackets available at
http://www.etsy.com/aahiggins
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| Vivian |
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Josephine
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